Marking the Generations – Part Three

by Glimbursts

Chapter One – Searching and Looking

“Sunset’s not here,” Zipp frowned.

“So, we wait for her to come out then,” Pipp smiled.

“Wait, where’s Sunny?” Hitch asked. “I thought she was right in front of me?”

“She was,” Starlight replied. “I was behind you Hitch. She walked through the portal just before you did.”

They looked back in shock as the pathways suddenly started to disappear. Runcord appeared in the golden portal and gave a quick wave of a hoof before retreating. The portal in the tree trunk disappeared immediately after.

As the others began panicking, Starlight couldn’t help frowning with annoyance.

“Fan out,” Zipp instructed. “Look for anything that could be out of place. Sunset and Sunny have got to be around here somewhere.”

“Or they could have gotten the wrong portal?” Izzy replied.

“Sunny was right in front of me,” Hitch responded as he shook his head. “She can’t have gotten the wrong portal.”

“But Sunset could,” Pipp argued. “Or Sunny appeared from the wrong one somehow. Who knows how these portals work?”

“Can we please look for clues?” Zipp replied crossly. “The moments after an event are vital for finding clues.”

With that, Zipp donned her visor and started flying around, searching the area. Meanwhile, the others did as instructed and fanned out in all directions. They kept their eyes peeled for anything that could help them find their missing friends. Starlight however remained stood, looking at where the golden portal had been in the tree trunk.

“What are you up to Discord?” Starlight sighed to herself.

Zipp had started by working back and forth in front of the Together Tree in a pattern. Then, after the others had fanned out, she headed down an alleyway that nopony else had gone. She followed this as it curved back towards the main street.

After coming out of the alley, she hovered in the air and gasped as she suddenly spotted something. It was a roll of what looked like white paper, laid at the side of the street. Swooping down, she carefully picked it up and examined it.

“I’m sure Sunset was carrying this,” she muttered.

She unrolled the object to find it was a poster, gasping when she saw a human riding a strange machine.

“Yeah, this must have been Sunset’s,” Zipp frowned as she rolled the poster back up again.

“Zipp!”

Zipp’s ear twitched at the sound of her name. She looked up the street back towards the Together Tree to see Misty waving to her. “You need to come and see this,” Misty urged.

Zipp nodded and placed the poster under a wing before she ran towards where Misty was standing. When she arrived, Misty pointed to a saddle bag that was sitting at the side of the street. Without a word, Zipp examined the saddle bag intently before carefully flipping it over. Both gasped as they spotted Sunset’s cutie mark on the flap.

“She wouldn’t just leave this,” Misty sighed. “Something’s happened to her.”

“You’re right Misty,” Zipp replied. “I found this poster further on, let’s keep going that way, see if we can find anything more.”

In the shadows nearby, Peach Fizz kept as silent as she could. She daren’t even breathe as the pair headed away. She sighed with relief and couldn’t help feeling a little elated that her evidence planting had worked.

“They’re going in completely the wrong direction,” she smiled before hurrying away.

It was a short time later that they all returned to the Together Tree. Zipp and Misty showed the others Sunset’s saddle bag and poster.

“We went further in the direction we thought she’d gone,” Misty explained. “But we didn’t find anything else to tell us where she went next.”

“Anything could have happened to her,” Zipp sighed. “There was no evidence at all.”

“Not even of a struggle?” Hitch asked.

Zipp shook her head.

“I called Mum,” Pipp explained. “Neither of them appeared at Zepher Heights.”

“Sunset definitely came out here,” Zipp replied. “That’s why we found her things.”

“But Sunny could still be in Bridlewood,” Izzy argued. “Somepony should go and check.”

“But we went through the portal with her,” Zipp reaffirmed. “She must have gotten lost in the crowds or something.”

“We would have seen her,” Pipp disagreed. “The crowd this side wasn’t that thick. We were some of the last to leave.”

“Just because we went through together doesn’t mean that Sunny couldn’t come out somewhere else,” Starlight explained. “Zipp, take the Marestream to Bridlewood. You can look for Misty’s mystery door again whilst you are there. The fact it’s in her dream and now Runcord gives her a key to a door cannot be a coincidence.”

“The Marestream is right there too,” Hitch added. “You’ll be there and back in no time Zipp. It won’t be a wasted journey.”

Zipp let out a massive sigh, looking at the ground in exasperation. “Fine, I’ll go but I doubt I’ll find them.”

With that Zipp started walking towards the Marestream.

“I’m coming with you,” Izzy shouted as she hurried after.

“What about the rest of us?” Misty asked as the Marestream took off in the background.

“You and Pipp head back to the Brighthouse,” Starlight sighed. “Hitch, let’s speak to the sergeant and make sure the Guards are keeping an eye out. What was her name?”

“Skywalk,” Hitch replied. “And yeah, that’s a good idea. We haven’t checked the Brighthouse, one of them could easily be there.”

As Misty and Pipp started heading towards the Brighthouse. Hitch and Starlight headed towards the Sheriff’s Office. However, they hadn’t gotten far when they heard a voice.

“Sheriff. Sheriff Hitch Help!”

Hitch turned to see Kendi running towards them, looking extremely distressed.

“Whoa, whoa, Kendi,” Hitch gasped. “What’s wrong?”

“I have been robbed,” Kendi answered. “I returned to my cart to stow items I’d found in the Market to find it’s been ransacked.”

“What’s missing?” Hitch asked.

“Two items of great historical importance,” Kendi replied. “A tan Stetson hat and a flight jacket. Items worn by the Guardians of Friendship themselves.”

Starlight stared at Kendi with astonishment. “Okay, you do know that Applejack has a massive closet full of hats. There is no way one of them could have historical significance.”

“That does not matter,” Kendi exclaimed. “I know they may seem quite ordinary items to you. But to us, they are tangible links to the past. It is like you looking at the cloak of Clover the Clever. She may have had many cloaks but that is the one you have that you know she wore.”

“Okay good point,” Starlight replied.

“Take us to your cart Kendi,” Hitch responded. “Hopefully there will be some clues to what’s happened.”

Kendi nodded and showed them the way.

Kendi took them to the courtyard of the hotel she was staying in. As the three of them turned the corner, Hitch and Starlight couldn’t help gasping. Before them was a scene of utter devastation. The items that had been in Kendi’s previously immaculately packed cart had been strewn everywhere. Boxes and chests had been opened and their contents spilled all over the floor.

“This is such a mess,” Starlight sighed. “How do you know that it’s just the hat and jacket that are gone?”

“I don’t,” Kendi admitted. “But as soon as I saw the boxes, they’d been stored in…”

She trailed off, pointing towards two large crates on the floor at the back of the cart that had been split open. It looked like they’d been pushed from the cart and dropped.

Hitch held a hoof out to Starlight and Kendi before he advanced. Taking a close look around he couldn’t see anything that would help him identify the culprit immediately.

“The ground’s flagstones, so there’s no hoof prints,” he grumbled. “I’ll need Zipp to cast her analytical eye over this.”

“So where is she?” Kendi asked. “Can you get her here?”

“She’s gone to Bridlewood,” Starlight replied. “Sunny and Sunset are both missing.”

“We need to secure this scene,” Hitch responded as he returned to the entrance. “We need to preserve any evidence that could be here.”

Suddenly the sound of hoof steps could be heard from up the street. They turned to find Sprout walking towards them, wearing his Guard’s uniform.

“Sprout,” Hitch called. “Are you on patrol?”

“Yes, Sir Sheriff Hitch, Sir,” Sprout replied. “Private Sprout on patrol until 09:00hrs.”

Hitch sighed, looking at the ground. “Can’t believe I’m about to do this,” he muttered.

He looked up at Sprout and glared. “Private Sprout, there has been a robbery in this courtyard. I need you to stand guard here and ensure that nopony enters. We need the crime scene to be contained until Detective Zipp can conduct her investigation.”

“Understood Sheriff Hitch sir,” Sprout replied. “I’ll secure any doors from the buildings then stand watch at the entrance here.”

With a quick salute, Sprout immediately headed into the hotel. Hitch groaned before turning to Kendi.

“I know this is hard Kendi but all you can do now is return to your hotel room,” he explained. “We’ll let you know when you can return to your cart to check if anything else was taken.”

“Thank you, Hitch,” Kendi replied. “Let me know when you find Sunny as well.”

“We will,” Hitch reassured. “I’ll make sure of it.”

With a nod, Kendi headed into the Hotel just as Sprout returned. With another quick salute, he assumed position next to the courtyard entrance. Hitch frowned at his old deputy again before he and Starlight started to walk away.

“You don’t seem to trust Sprout that much,” Starlight observed.

“You know the story,” Hitch sighed. “Honestly, he’s changed since joining the Equestria Guard, but I can’t shake that worried feeling. In fact, I really ought to let Skywalk know I’ve commandeered him.”

Hitch stopped and retrieved his phone. Starlight looked on with confusion as he started tapping. Then, he suddenly got a notification which made a ‘ping’ sound.

“What was that?” Starlight asked as she looked around suspiciously.

“A notification on our group chat,” Hitch replied.

“A what on the what now?” Starlight frowned.

Hitch gasped as he read the message that appeared before reading it out to Starlight.

Sunny
Hey Everypony, really sorry for disappearing unannounced. I kind of got hijacked. I’m flying back to the Brighthouse now. I’ll explain when I see you.

It was a short time later, Misty and Pipp were already standing outside the Brighthouse. There was a sudden flash as Starlight and Hitch appeared. Hitch gasped as he suddenly sat down with a thump, his head spinning.

“Oh, sorry Hitch,” Starlight grimaced. “I forget how disorienting teleportation can be if you’re not used to it.”

“No…No problem,” Hitch groaned. “Is she here yet?”

“No, but I think I see her,” Misty replied pointing to the sky.

Sunny grinned as she spotted the group standing outside the Brighthouse. After doing a lap around the building she tried to land gracefully in front of them. However, she came in far too fast and ended up in a heap on the floor. “Maybe I need to work on my landings,” she grinned as she picked herself up and examining her wings.

Pipp and Misty grinned as they hurried forward and threw their hoofs around Sunny in relief.

“Don’t disappear on us like that,” Pipp exclaimed. “We thought something awful had happened to you.”

“Your powers, they’re back,” Misty grinned. “Does this mean you’re feeling better now?”

Sunny laughed and enjoyed the embrace of her friends for a moment before finally replying.

“I’m sorry I disappeared Pipp but I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t responsible.”

“Discord,” Starlight said knowingly.

Sunny smiled as she nodded. “He was great, helped me work through everything. I’m ready for whatever comes our way next. Wait, where are Zipp, Izzy and Sunset?”

Elsewhere, Opaline’s throne room was completely quiet. In the corner, floating a few feet from the floor, there was a giant transparent sphere. Within the sphere, Sunset Shimmer stood silently and rigidly. The whites of her eyes were a purple colour and she stared straight ahead with a vacant expression on her face.

Suddenly, it was like a switch had been thrown inside her. Her eyes returned to normal, and Sunset flinched before she started moving. She gasped as she looked around with confusion and denial. “How…how did I get here?” she breathed.

She racked her brain, however, the last thing she could remember was exiting the Night Market. She held a hoof to her head, the headache she’d had wasn’t there anymore.

“This…This can’t be right,” she breathed. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Worriedly, Sunset began investigating the sphere she was currently inside. Banging a hoof on it, she gulped as she found it to be completely solid. A feeling of foreboding began to well inside her. It was abundantly and painfully clear to her that she was trapped. She closed her eyes and took a ready stance. “Please let this work.”

Her horn lit up and she disappeared with a flash. However, less than a second later she reappeared in the same spot. She opened her eyes and confirmed her worst fears. “Okay, maybe a little ambitious.”

Sunset prepared herself to try again, this time keeping her eyes open and focusing on a spot near the door. Her horn lit up again and there was another flash as she disappeared. She reappeared in the spot she’d been looking at. However, almost immediately she disappeared and reappeared back within the sphere.

Sunset sat down in dismay, taking deep breaths. “Okay, okay keep a hold of yourself Sunset. There’s got to be a way out. Somehow.”

She looked around the room again as she felt a sinking feeling inside her deepening.

Comments

[Comickook]

All right. Another well-done chapter with great dialogue, characterizations and future chapter set-up. REALLY appreciated the effort going into the search parties for Sunny and Sunset (though the brainwashed Peach Fizz ended up messing up part of it with planted evidence) as well as the check-up from Haven, Kendi mentioning a theft of some artifacts (and POSSIBLY other things, but we don't know that yet), the discussion of Sprout and Sunny's arrival at the Brighthouse explaining her whereabouts and now wondering where Zipp, Izzy and Sunset were. Of course, Sunset has apparently recovered from that brainwashing (at least temporarily), but ended up trapped in one of Opaline's prison bubbles.

VERY MUCH looking forward to more of this.

[Sunrise10]

Yes, finally part 3

[HuskToFawn]

This. Is. AMAZINGG. I’m kinda sad that I didn’t get to read it when it came out though. I feel bad for Sunset, but maybe, just ma-aybe, she could use the power of willpower to like, get back to her senses. Or maybe there’s still a part of her inside? Like with Peach Fizz when asked about her friends in Part 2.

(Also, how did you get the vertical line that you used for texts? I’ve been trying to find out how since last month )

[Glimbursts]

11854570
More chapters releasing soon.

As for the line for a text it's a 'quote'. Hover your mouse over the formatting tools and it will tell you what each is.

[HuskToFawn]

11854573
Whenever I try doing the quote-

It just gives me this

Not the:

|Sunny
|Text Example Thingy Here

[Glimbursts]

11854581
I think it works differently within comments to chapters. It's certainly the Quote option I used there.

Speaking of, just proof read and released the next chapter.

[Phetiamwantip]

Maretime Bay Idea list:

Hire more deputies
Security cameras
Turning Canterlogic factory into a radio station
Upgrade Sunny's Smoothie stand into a Smoothie store
Gym
Upgrade Maretime Bay's sheriff station into a huge
Maretime Bay's sheriff station with lots of jail cells to hold a lot of criminals.

Prison
Maretime Bay district court
Upgrade Mane Melody into a huge Mane Melody salon by hiring more mane stylists and hooficurists

Add that to your list.